Among the Not So Great

Pavitra-Da

(Philippe Barbier Saint Hilaire) (1894-1969)

The art of living consists of keeping earthly step to heavenly music.

Nikolayevich Panin

Pavitra-da was a well-known figure in our Ashram. He was a multi-faceted genius, but managed to dissimulate all his brilliance under a layer of ordinariness and friendliness. At first the friendliness was not easy for most of us, to feel. There were several reasons for this. First he was a French man i.e. white man. We unconsciously kept ourselves (5-6 decades back) a little distanced — not just because he was ‘white’, but we were naughty young boys and it was prudent to keep away from serious looking elders. He was one such. There was real respect too — he lived in the Ashram, first floor i.e. close to Mother’s Room. Also he was Her “Sarathi” whenever She was the Rathi. He was made the director of our newly formed school. We can read him, or analyse him better, after a closer acquaintance with him and his life.

Pavitra-da was born in Paris in the year 1894, on the 16th of January. His father — Paul Barbier Saint Hilaire — was typically French, cultured and a strict father, yet affectionate and understanding. Pavitra-da, as Philippe, at a very young age showed an aptitude to things mechanical. He got a bicycle as a birthday gift from his father when he was eleven years old. He dismantled it — his father watching him silently. Philippe could not put it together and asked his father if he could take it to a mechanic. “No” was the father’s reply, but a booklet was given as a help. It took all of three weeks for the job. It left the young boy wiser, more sober and more skilful. All these events and attitudes (of Paul B. S. H.) helped mould the character of the young Philippe and also put him on the path of his Future — as we will see — as engineer — Ecole-Poly-technique. Then the Great War (W.W.I) was on them. All were sucked into its tide. Philippe was inducted into an artillery division. He served as a sub-lieutenant. Though it was a tough life, they did have quite a bit of leisure time. It was during these leisure times young Philippe came across some books on psychic phenomena, magic, occultism etc. dubbed as “nonscientific” and studied them. Inevitably he discovered India.

Philippe did not arrive straightaway in India. He first reached Japan. He started a laboratory which interested many and Philippe got to know many — including some Buddhist monks from Mongolia. He went and lived in a monastery in Mongolia. It was a hard austere life. Yet he was not inwardly satisfied. He had heard of Sri Aurobindo when in Japan (Our Mother had left Japan a little before Philippe’s arrival there). He was attracted to Indian philosophy. He wrote to the Ashram (Pondicherry) but received no reply. Regardless, he boarded a ship, and after some delays and storm and detours reached Dhanushkoti and took a train to Pondicherry and arrived here on the 17th of December 1925 to start a new chapter of his life.